It's Not Going To Be Easy
by iamtheoptimusprime
Summary: Quinn wants to make things right with Rachel over summer break so she offers her friendship on the last day of the school year but as summer progresses she soon realises that friendship isn't the only thing on the cards for them.
1. Chapter 1

**This is the first fic I've ever uploaded to so I hope it goes well. Reviews are always appreciated, good or bad. I don't have a beta so any mistake I make are my own.**

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><p>Quinn sat at the back of the choir room and scanned the group, seeing as it was their last meeting of the year, Mr Schue felt they deserved to just relax and enjoy each other's company. Mercedes and Kurt were gossiping as usual, Tina and Mike were completely engrossed in each other, Sam, Puck and Finn were spouting some innocuous rubbish about football plays and Santana, Brittany and Artie were sharing a joke that revolved around Santana making a silly face. It was nice to see everyone getting along so well, they'd had a long year and it was good to see that the group were all enjoying themselves now that the drama of Nationals and New York was all over, she was glad they could all get back to normal. Well, as normal as was possible for this group of people who all knew that had it not been for Glee Club, they would never have spoken to each other.<p>

Looking around the room again, Quinn's hazel eyes fell on Rachel. The brunette was sat by herself, looking over brochures for Juilliard. Anyone who had ever spoken to Rachel knew of her ambitions to appear on Broadway and get that all-important Tony and anyone who heard her sing knew that she would do it. However, with that amazing talent came a personality that was more than a little bit abrasive at times. Quinn was used to it by now but a few years ago, she was sure she had crushed Rachel's spirit completely. She knew she had treated Rachel horribly when all the other girl had ever wanted was to be Quinn's friend. Quinn spotted an empty seat next to Rachel and made her way towards it. She would have been sat in it had it not been for the hulking figure of Finn Hudson that got there before her, she took a moment to remind herself that Finn and Rachel were together now. She had no idea what Rachel saw in him. Yeah, he had his sweet moments and he was a nice guy despite being incredibly dim but that didn't explain what Rachel saw in him. She had New York dreams and he was destined to never leave the state of Ohio, the two would never last beyond high school and if they did it would be long distance. Quinn knew that Finn would never make it in new York, he'd moan and whine about never being able to see Rachel and when he did, it's be at cast parties where he'd stand in the corner and be intimidated by all of the good-looking leading men surrounding Rachel who not only were interested in her but also understood all of the demands that being a star would have on a relationship.

"Hey Lucy Q, what up your butt? Quinn shook her head and smiled at Santana's choice of name. Their relationship was weird, they considered themselves to be best friends but had an unspoken agreement that if an opportunity came to better themselves, friendship flew out of the window and they became adversaries. Despite all this, Santana was the only person Quinn would allow to call her that name and remind her of a horrible time in her life. They kept each other on their toes and they liked it that way.

"Not a lot S, just thinking about some stuff"

"Rachel stuff?" The blonde's head whipped round with a shocked look on her face "What, you really think you were being inconspicuous about it? Anyone with eyes could see you staring at her an Frankenteen. I'm your best friend, of course I would notice"

"It's just weird, no matter what I've done to her or what she's done to me, I've never hated her. I should be furious with her but I just can't bring myself to do it" Quinn whispered out the last part of her sentence as if she was admitting her darkest secret

"Well, if that's the case, why don't you try being her friend? I know she's with Big Foot right now but that doesn't mean she won't make time for you. This is Berry we're talking about, she probably thinks she can make Sylvester a better person with the right combination of Broadway musicals!"

"Yeah, you're right about that one" Quinn laughed out "So, now that we've spoken about me, how are things with you and Britt? You seem alright over there" Santana shrugged.

"We're still friends. She knows how I feel, I know how she feels and she's not with Artie any more so there's no reason why we can't spend the summer rebuilding what we had and maybe moving it on to something more"

"I'm proud of you for finally admitting that you love her, even if it took you a lot longer than I thought it would. I always knew something was going on between you"

"I figured you did after you stopped coming to our weekly sleepovers! Thanks for that by the way, Britt hated you being there because it meant we could be as...adventurous as we would have liked" Santana winked as the blonde scrunched up her face

"Okay okay, enough! It was bad enough hearing you two, I did not need to know _that! _Now, go and get your girl" Quinn gave her best friend a small hug and let her go back to Brittany and Artie.

Shortly after that, Mr Schue wished them all a very good summer and let them go. Quinn hung back until everyone else was gone until it was just her and Rachel, she knew the brunette would stay back late because she always did. Even when it was technically summer.

"Hey Rachel" Quinn approached the other girl tentatively and spoke with a softness in her voice, the last thing she wanted to do was scare Rachel away.

"Oh, hi Quinn. Did you want to talk to me about something?"

"Actually, yes I did. I wanted to apologise Rachel" The brunette eyes lit up and her eyebrows rose in shock. "I've treated you horribly when you didn't deserve it and I can't even imagine the pain you must have felt because of me, because of what I did and I just want you to know that if I could take it all back I would. I want to be your friend and I understand that it won't be as simple as me saying it, I'll have to earn your friendship and I don't mind that because we're pretty much seniors now and I want to end things with us on a good footing" Quinn spat it all out in one breath, only realising just how much she had said when she saw Rachel staring at her intently.

Well thank you Quinn for that extensive apology, it seems you have been paying attention to my style of speaking as you went on for an awful long time there. First of all, I accept your apology. You're right, we are seniors now and we should be past all of the childish nonsense that happened in years past. Second of all, you don't have to earn my friendship. I've offered you my friendship many times and just because you denied me then doesn't mean that I'll make you work hard for it now as some sort of revenge. I firmly believe in second chances. Even third, forth or fifth chances for those who I feel deserve them. Thirdly, what makes you think things will end with us after high school?" Rachel asked with a raised brow. She motioned for Quinn to sit down as she felt that this would be a deep conversation.

"You're going to New York, to Juilliard. Everyone knows that. And I'm staying here, I'll go to OSU, get a law degree and follow in my father's footsteps, making the Fabray name famous for a third generation" Quinn spoke about her father and family name with more than a hint of bitterness in her voice. "It's just how things are going to be."

"They don't have to be Quinn, you're incredibly talented and, as I know I've told you before, very very pretty. You could go anywhere you wanted to. Hell, you could even follow me to New York if you felt like it!" Quinn knew Rachel was joking in her words but that didn't stop her stomach from flipping.

"New York is your dream Rachel, not mine" Quinn shook her head in defeat and got rid of the feeling in her stomach. She saw Rachel's eyes drop at her defeatism but chose to ignore it. "So, now that we're friends, I guess it wouldn't be too much for me to ask you if you wanted to go out sometime during summer?"

"No, of course not! Although, I would have to find time between my preparations for my auditions for college and Finn but I'm sure he won't mind me blowing him off a few time so I can build a friendship" Rachel smiled hopefully at Quinn, the smile not quite reaching her eyes as if she knew that Finn would have a problem with it.

"That's great! How about you text me whenever you're free and I'll make some time for you?"

"Sounds like a good plan, except..."

"Except what?"

"I don't have your number. You've never given it to me. But, why would you? We've never been friends. However, that is all changing now!" Rachel handed Quinn her phone so the blonde could enter her number. "Excellent! I will let you know as soon as I have some free time!" The two rose from their seats as the conversation drew to a natural end. They made their way towards the car park in a comfortable silence and just before they turned away from each other to go to their cars, Quinn spoke up.

"Thank you Rachel. For giving me a second chance, I really appreciate it"

"It's really no problem at all Quinn" Rachel placed her hand on the blondes arm "I get a friend out of all of this as well. Just promise me one thing?"

"Yeah sure, what can I do for you?"

"Don't give up on getting out of here so easily. I know you can do it if you really try"

"I'll can promise to not get so depressed about staying here?" Quinn replied with a smirk on her face

"Clearly you haven't been paying attention to how determined I am! Now that we're friends, you have no choice but to believe me when I say that you can get out of Lima if you want. But, I can see it'll take more than me just saying it. No matter, I have a whole summer!" Rachel called out to Quinn as she skipped (yes, the girl actually skipped) to her car

Quinn turned towards her car and got in. She sank into her seat and let out a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. "I am in for a very interesting summer" she smiled and said to herself.

Quinn was sat on her bed reading Lolita, it was a book that would have made anyone else incredibly uncomfortable while they were reading but to Quinn it was one of her favourites. The content did seem weird to her, it was supposed to, but that's not why she read it. She read it so she could ask herself time and time again if she could trust the narrators account of events. Did the young girl really lead him on or was he just a pervert looking for someone one young and innocent to blame his sexual deviances on? Her thoughts were interrupted by the short buzzing of her phone, she looked at it and saw she had a text from a number she didn't recognise

_Hello Quinn, I was just texting to make sure you had my number and to tell you that I am free next Tuesday evening if you wanted to go out then? Of course, if you already have plans then don't worry about it, we can reschedule for another time - R_

Quinn smiled to herself, the brunette even rambled in her texts although Quinn didn't really know what else to expect from her.

_Hi Rachel, Tuesday evening is more than fine with me, I don't have any plans for then. Any idea on what you want to do? - Q_

She was just about to pick up her book again when the phone buzzed instantly. Not only were Rachel's text's grammatically perfect but she clearly was not one to forget about replying to a text

_Well, there's a production of The Phantom of the Opera at the Lima Community Theatre but I imagine that's not really your thing so how about just a simple trip to the movies? - R_

Quinn thought about her current situation, she could say yes to the movies and spend an evening doing something that she knew she liked or she could choose to go to the theatre with Rachel and not only have a new experience but show Rachel that she really was committed to making their friendship work.

_Actually, the theatre sounds fine to me. I've never been to a musical before and what better person to go with than someone who knows all there is to know about musicals? :) - Q_

She waited nervously for Rachel's reply. She didn't want to come off too strong but she knew she had to do something so that this friendship lasted through the summer

_Well, you definitely chose the right person! Although, Quinn Fabray, I am completely shocked that you have never been to a musical before! I am making it my personal mission this summer to make sure that you are well-versed in all things Broadway before school starts up again! - R_

_Now I'm worried about just what it is exactly that you have in store for me! - Q_

_No need to be worried Quinn, I simply plan to show you all of the classics that you just have to have seen and a few of my own favourites. I am certain that you'll like more than a few of them! I'll text you the details for the show and we can work out where we go from there. Now, I must go to bed as I have to get up early to continue my fitness regime. School may have stopped but that doesn't mean I should! Goodnight Quinn! - R_

Quinn beamed at the girl's determination to make her dreams come true.

_Goodnight Rachel, have "fun" on your workout :P – Q_

The blonde quickly grew tired after laying her phone down and was soon taken over with thoughts of how good her summer seemed to be already. She was finally building a friendship with Rachel and that seemed like it could only ever get better. It was safe to say that Quinn was looking forward to whatever the rest of the holidays had to offer her.

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><p><strong>As I said before, this is the first fic I've ever uploaded to here so any reviews you have will be greatly received and appreciated. I will also try my best to answer any queries you may have! I'm hoping to keep this fic going on for a while longer so I hope you enjoy it. I imagine the next chapter will be longer than this one! Thank you for reading!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all so much for the reviews, alerts, favourites, all of it! I honestly never expected my first fic to be received so well so that you all so much for it. As always, reviews are appreciated, good or bad. Don't feel hesitant to PM me if there's anything you want to say!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. If I did, it would be a very different show.**

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><p>Quinn was dragged out of the dream world she had immersed herself in by the loud, obnoxious ringing of her phone, she looked at the clock on her bedside table and saw that it was only just 8am. It was 8am on a Saturday, not just any Saturday, the first Saturday of summer break. Who the hell would be calling her at this time!<p>

"Hello?" She answered the phone in a voice that sounded like it should have belonged to a teenage boy on the throes of puberty

"Hola chica!" Of course, it would be Santana calling her. Ever since they were kids, Santana's mantra had been that if she was up at a ridiculously early time, she was dragging Quinn up with her. "What have you got planned for today?"

Quinn rolled over and groaned loudly as sunlight poked though a crank in her curtain and hit her sensitive eyes "Well, I was planning on staying bed for at least another two hours, but you shot that plan right to hell, then I was just going to laze around. Mom's out for the day so I was going to have some me time. Why, what do you want from me?"

"Britt is spending the day with Artie, so how about I come around and help you take advantage of that big empty house? I can some films and my dad left me some money so we can order in pizza or something? And you can get extra bacon yours."

Quinn smiled at how well her best friend knew her "Well, the bacon is definitely a deal breaker! Come over for around 12 okay? Give me some more time to sleep."

"Alright, alright, I'll be over then. See you soon Q" Santana hung up the phone and Quinn rolled back over, facing away from light creeping through the curtains. She was just about to drift off back to sleep when she had a thought. She knew Rachel would be awake at this time working out so she might as well text her. She knew that Rachel said she didn't have to earn her friendship but she still wanted to do something. She still wanted to show the brunette that she was truly sorry for how she treated her.

_Good morning, just thought I'd see how you slept seeing as I know you're awake by now. Goodness knows why though, it's a Saturday. They are designed for sleeping. Anyway, I hope you're having fun! - Q_

Quinn placed the phone on her bedside table, she didn't expect a response so she closed her eyes and tried to get back to sleep. However, a reply came a few minutes later.

_Good morning to you too Quinn. I'll have you know that I am having fun on my workout, you should try it sometime. Though I am surprised that you're awake this early. We may not have been friends before but we roomed together in New York and I know how much you enjoy your sleep :P – R_

_Yeah, you can thank Santana for that. She has this rule that if she's up earlier than she needs to be, she's waking me up too! Nice you know you're enjoying yourself though, I'll let you get back to it – Q_

_One day, I will get you working out with me! But for now, you have been granted the reprieve of sleep. Enjoy the rest of your day :) - R_

Quinn put the phone under her pillow so that she wouldn't miss the alarm that would wake her up so she could get ready for Santana. She went back to sleep with a smile on her face.

Quinn was ready with 5 minutes to spare before she knew Santana would be banging her door down. She was dressed in a grey t-shirt and shorts with her newly-short hair kept off her face with a headband. She didn't feel the need to dress up for her best friend because if she knew Santana well enough, she knew the other girl would have a bag with clothes in it that she could lounge around, and ultimately sleep, in. Santana always stayed over at her house whenever they had one of their lazy days together. She heard Santana's car before she saw it, the brunette drove a black Range Rover, and ran to the door before Santana announced her arrival in her usual fashion of banging on the door non-stop until Quinn answered.

"You had to go and ruin my fun, didn't you bitch?" Santana remarked with an eyeroll as she spotted Quinn standing in the open doorway with a smirk on her face.

"Well, someone has to, otherwise you're run wild!" She led Santana into the house and watched as the brunette promptly dropped her bags down and began to strip her clothes off. "Errrm San, what the hell are you doing?"

"Calm down Lucy Q, I'm just getting out of these clothes and getting into the sweats I brought with me. It's cool, you can stare if you want" Santana added with a wink in Quinn's direction

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass. Not really my thing"

"Honey, I'm everyone's thing. And please don't pretend that with a few drinks in you, you wouldn't want to get all up on this"

"I wouldn't because I'm not gay" Quinn shook her head to emphasise her point

"You don't _need _to be gay Q, just human. It's fine, one day you'll give in to me. Just don't leave it too late because I'm pretty sure Britt would not want to share at all. Now, come on my little non-homo, choose a film so we can get this lazy show started!" Quinn tried her best to hide the smile on her face as she pressed play on the DVD player. Easy A started on the tv and Santana quickly settled down, this was her favourite film and Quinn knew it was the only way to keep her quiet. Well, Easy A, breadsticks and sex. And there was no way Quinn was going to offer sex as a way to keep the other girl quiet

About an hour into the film, the two girls were cuddled together on the couch, Santana's arm around Quinn's shoulders and the blonde's head resting on the other girls shoulder. Anyone who witnessed this scene would never believe that the two girls used to be rivals but this was the side of their friendship that was private to the two of them, and sometimes Brittany. It worked for them, they could be themselves around each other behind closed doors but as soon as they got outside, high school mentalities took over and it was every hot cheerleader for themselves. It wasn't ideal but it was they way they survived.

"So, what happened with the dwarf?"

"We spoke, I apologised, she forgave me and we're gonna try being friends. Which means you can't call her dwarf, man-hands, RuPaul or any of the other names we used to call her. Her name's Rachel. Or if that is too much for you, can you at least try Berry?"

"Wait, hold up. You apologised? You? The great Quinn Fabray apologised to Rachel Berry? The world has gone topsy fucking turvy"

"I told you, I want to try being friends with her" Quinn huffed out "It's senior year soon, I don't want things to end badly with us. I treated her horribly and I just want to make up for it"

"I'm still calling insanity. So, when are you going out?"

"Tuesday. To a production of The Phantom of the Opera" Santana failed to hold back a laugh which earned her a quick slap on the arm from the blonde girl next to her.

"I'm sorry Q, but that cannot have been your idea which means that you are already whipped. Fucking hilarious. I give it two weeks until she has you dressing in animal patterned sweaters!" Quinn pushed Santana off the couch and she landed with a thud "You know, if I had known you were going to be so touchy over Berry, I would have started teasing you a long time ago"

Quinn felt a low rumble start in the bottom of her throat but pushed it back down "I told you, I really want to make things right with her. I'm not _that_ person anymore and seeing as she felt the brunt of most of my bitchiness, I'd say I'm pretty much obligated to do whatever the hell she want me to. She doesn't want to me to prove myself, but I feel like I have to." Santana quickly became sullen at the blonde's words, something Quinn said struck her.

"Prove yourself like I have to do with Brittany?"

"Exactly. Except, I don't want to get into Rachel's pants"

"It's not just me getting in her pants, I really do love her. She knows it too and she loves me back, yet she's still spending her days with Wheels instead of me. It's not fair Q..." Santana's words trailed off into a vulnerable whisper. She only ever let Quinn see this side of her. No one else would understand. Quinn hugged the smaller girl close, pressing a light kiss to her temple. The blonde really felt for Santana at moments like this, brunette loved Brittany so much but of course, it would never be that easy for her.

"Trust me when I say this, one day, when you're married and running around after some mini-Lopez-Pierces" Santana let out a small laugh "You and Brittany are going to look back on all of this and realise that it's a good thing that you spent some time apart. This'll help both of you see just how much you love each other."

"God Q, I really hate how much you make sense sometimes"

"You love me really, now shut up and let me watch the rest of the film"

"You know, you're still not off the hook over this whole thing with Berry"

"Shhhhh San, Emma Stone is talking now" Quinn replied as she squashed Santana into her side, effectively shutting the brunette up.

By the time the film had finished, neither girl wanted to move so Quinn stretched to reach the phone and called the pizza place, getting one for each girl (hers with extra bacon of course) and only dragged herself up when the food arrived. She didn't even bother getting plates for the two of them as she knew they would never get washed up if they did use them, it was just better to eat out of the box.

"So what's next?" Santana enquired through a mouthful of pizza "Are you gonna give up bacon for Berry next?"

"Hell no, I'm hoping we can reach a compromise that means I won't have to do that"

"Christ Q, I was only joking. Maybe it'll be less than two weeks before the animal sweaters!"

Quinn ignored the brunettes comment as her phone had buzzed, alerting her to a new text.

_Good evening Quinn, I hope you've had a good day! How are you? Just thought I'd check on my newest friend :) - R_

Quinn failed to hide the smile that crept onto her face before Santana saw it. "Please don't tell me that's her now because from the look on your face, it seems as if you're ready to kiss her feet"

"So what if it is her? I told you, I'm trying and she makes it really easy to be her friend when she sends me texts asking how I am." Quinn made a point of keeping her phone hidden as she text back.

_Well, I am pretty good, thank you very much for asking. How are you? My day's been fine. Me and Santana just had a lazy day with pizza and movies. She thinks it'll only be a few weeks before you have me dressing up in animal sweaters! - Q_

_I'm aiming to have you wearing them before the end of summer definitely ;)It sounds like a fun day, I hope we can have one of those soon. If that's alright with you of course? - R_

Quinn smile grew wider and wider at Rachel's reply. She was in awe of how hesitant the girl was to reach out to Quinn, in fear that she might run away.

_First of all, you are not getting me anywhere near those sweaters, they look good on you but I could never pull them off. Second of all, I would love to have a movies and pizza day with you soon. Maybe not pizza though because you're vegan, we'll find something to fix that – Q_

_Awwh, it's so nice of you to remember my veganism, that's really sweet. And trust me Quinn, those sweaters would look good on you. You could make anything look good. - R_

Quinn blushed furiously at Rachels compliment and lifted her head to find Santana staring at her as if she had suddenly grown another head "Q, is there something I'm not getting here? You and Berry are just friends right, because you look like if she were here, you would jump her"

"San, we are just friends, I just never new how nice she was before. It's a nice change from the friends I'm used to" She stuck her tongue out at the brunette to show she was joking

"Bitch, you love me. Now tell the hobbit to leave us be. I want to watch Wanted because Angelina is shit hot in that film" Quinn rolled her eyes at her friend and picked up her phone.

_You're spoiling me with compliments now :P Is it alright if we pick this conversation up tomorrow? Santana is bugging me to put on another film and have all my attention focused on her all of the time. - Q_

_Of course it's okay, tell Santana I said hi. Although that probably won't do much in how she feels about me. Enjoy your evening and we're talk tomorrow x – R_

_I'm telling you, Santana really doesn't dislike you as much as you think, she just has a different way of showing it than everyone else does. Have a good night Rach x – Q_

"Finally" Santana remarked as Quinn put her phone down "Can I have you back in the land of the normal now?"

"I was always in the land of the normal. You're right, Angelina does look really good in this film"

"Well, look at you! Maybe you are gay after all!" Santana winked at the blonde and received a playful shove in return.

"I'm not gay Santana, but come on. Even Kurt would admit that she's hot!"

"Kurt isn't the one I'm teasing!" Santana flashed Quinn her biggest smile while the blonde buried her face in a pillow.

"Shut up and watch the film!

The night ended with the two girls nearly falling asleep on the couch before Quinn shook Santana awake and all but carried her up the stairs and into bed. There was never an issue with them sharing a bed, Santana's sexuality wasn't an issue because Quinn knew she only wanted Brittany and it was nice sometimes having someone there and knowing it won't go further than just lying there. Santana was asleep long before Quinn so the blonde stayed up and thought about what this summer would have to offer. It seemed like things with Rachel were going to go well, provided Quinn didn't mess up at any point. She really hoped she didn't mess up because Rachel had been kind enough to forgive her and Quinn didn't want to give her a reason to regret it.

She knew Finn would have a problem with their friendship, well the Finn from a year ago would. She imagined that he would have grown up enough to not mind the two girls that he played off on each other being friends. The last thing she wanted would be to lose Rachel's friendship because Finn didn't like the idea. She had no reason to believe that Rachel would choose her over Finn. He was everything the brunette had ever wanted. Quinn let thoughts of Finn leave her mind and rolled over so that she was leaning on Santana's shoulder, she found a comfortable position and let sleep wash over her.

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><p><strong>I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Reviews are always appreciated and I hope to get the next chapter up as soon as I can<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for reading so far! I'm sorry for the delay in update, I just had a bit of a mental block, hopefully it won't happen again! I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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><p>Quinn awoke from her dream in a cold sweat; she looked over at her clock which told her it was 3:36 in the morning. It was officially Tuesday meaning her night out with Rachel was happening later that evening. The last thing she wanted was to be tired because of the same recurring dream she had. It was always the same, she had given birth to Beth, but instead of being able to hold her, the baby was whisked away before she even got to look at her and every time Quinn tried to sit up and look at the child, a strong pair of hands pushed her back down onto the bed. They were the hands of her father. While his hands pushed her down, his face was close to hers, red and angry with eyes shining in disappointment. Standing behind him was her mother, bowing her head down; trying to remain oblivious to her daughter's anguished cries. There was a moment in the dream, just before it looked like her mother was going to help her, it was at that moment when Quinn woke up and was thrust back into reality, breathing heavily and forehead damp with sweat.<p>

After realising that she wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon, she went downstairs and made herself a cup of coffee, it seemed to be the only thing that calmed her down. Well, coffee and bacon but I'm sure her mother wouldn't appreciate her cooking bacon at four in the morning. She never told Judy about her dreams; she knew the older woman felt guilty enough about not stopping Russell from throwing Quinn out when he first found out about her pregnancy so Quinn felt no need to bring the content s of the dream up. The important thing was that Russell was gone and although Quinn and Judy had never been close, the older blonde was certainly trying to make up for that now. It was now mandatory that they spent dinner together at least three times a week and one of those dinners would lead to them watching a film. Just was glad to have her daughter back and Quinn was happy to have the mother she never had.

Once Quinn had finished her coffee, she made her way back upstairs and into bed. She didn't want Rachel to see her with bags under her eyes and think that something was wrong. Maybe one day, she hoped, Quinn would feel comfortable enough to tell Rachel about the dream but she didn't want to scare her off too quickly. Quinn had no idea of how Rachel felt about Shelby adopting Beth. Yes it was the right thing to do at the time and the best thing for the baby girl but Shelby's motives weren't just that. She had denied Rachel a relationship with her; only to then adopt another baby girl as, essentially, Rachel's replacement. Of course, this thought only entered Quinn's mind after everything was final as she only wanted what was best for her child but that didn't mean she didn't feel bad for allowing it to happen. Quinn never realised how much she had to make up to Rachel, of course the other girl would tell her not to worry about it but that wouldn't ease Quinn's guilt. She had to make it up to Rachel so that ultimately, she'd feel better about everything she did. The first step was offering her friendship to Rachel. That was much easier than Quinn ever thought it would be and it showed her just how forgiving the other girl could be, even when the recipient of her forgiveness didn't deserve it at all.

Quinn woke a dulled brightness in her room as the sunlight beamed onto her curtains. She looked at the clock and this time it read 10:10, the red numbers somehow seeming less harsh than they did when she woke much earlier that morning. Her second round of sleep hadn't brought her dreams of any sort which she would much rather have over anything that may terrify her. She made her way down to the kitchen for the second time that day and made herself another coffee. She saw a not on the coffee machine, I read "_I saw you sleeping but decided not to wake you because you looked so peaceful and it's the holidays so you can sleep as much as you want! There's bacon in the fridge, have a good day! Love Mom xx" _A wide smile spread over Quinn's face, she loved how much closer her and her mom were getting and it definitely helped that Judy knew that bacon and coffee was the way to keep her daughter happy. It wasn't unusual for Quinn to find notes from her mother around the house. While they were both trying to rebuild their relationship, they were both quite similar and needed their own space from time to time. This meant that they could peacefully co-exist in the same house without ever suffocation each other.

After having a shower and changing into her house clothes, a simple white t-shirt and black shorts, Quinn checked her phone for the first time all morning, her eyes lit up as she saw she had received at text from Rachel

_Good morning Quinn, I hope we're still on for later. I understand if you've changed your mind but I really hope you do come along – R_

Quinn sighed heavily as she read the double meaning in the Rachel's words. She would understand if Quinn didn't show up because Quinn had rejected her friendship before, what's to stop her from doing it again. Quinn silently cursed herself and added other thing t the list or reasons to make her friendship with Rachel work.

_Hi Rach, I can assure you I have no plans of not showing up! I am quite curious to see what it is that you find so fascinating about musicals! – Q_

Quinn knew that Rachel would continue to have her doubts until Quinn actually showed up so she stressed that she was going to be there as much as possible.

_Excellent! I still find it very odd that you haven't been able to experience the joy of musicals yet, but don't worry. I plan to change all of that this summer! Shall I pick you up around 6:30? It doesn't start until 7:30 but you will need to pick up the full atmosphere of the theatre if you are to ever truly enjoy it! – R_

_Oh, there's no need to pick me up, I can just drive myself! – Q_

_Nonsense, I am picking you up and I am dropping you home. Don't even think about arguing either because it won't work :P – R_

Quinn shook her head that the decisiveness of the other girl and chose to take her warning and not argue back.

_Okay, fine! You can pick me up and drop me home but I'm paying for food afterwards as a way of saying thanks. And don't even bother arguing with me because it won't work ;) – Q_

_Deal! I can already tell we're going to be great friends Quinn. I'll see you later xx – R_

Quinn really hoped Rachel was right and that they would be great friends.

The doorbell of the Fabray house rang promptly at half past six. Quinn silently commended Rachel on her impeccable timekeeping, if there was one thing she had learned to appreciate under years of being leg by Sue Sylvester, it was great timekeeping. Quinn checked herself over in the mirror once more, she was wearing a light blue dress with white cardigan and white ballet pumps. The cardigan wasn't really needed seeing as it was the middle of summer but it was light so it was mostly for decoration. She opened the door to find Rachel Berry beaming back at her. She was wearing a pale yellow dress complete with black ballet pumps; it was very simple but fitted Rachel perfectly.

"Good evening Quinn, you look very nice this evening." Quinn blushed at the compliment but managed to hide the small smile creeping onto her face.

"Thank you, so do you! Let me just write a note to my mom and then we can be on out way!"

The two girls were sat in the car in a comfortable silence when Rachel spoke the first words of the journey.

"So, what do you know about the Phantom of The Opera?"

"There's a dude in a mask and he…haunts the opera house?" Rachel laughed out loud at Quinn's words but not a condescending way, but in a way that let the blonde know it was okay that she didn't know everything about it. The laughter didn't make Quinn feel like she was being put under scrutiny, a feeling she knew all too well.

"Well, trust me; you will come away from tonight knowing a lot more than that. Just be thankful that it's your fist time and I'm going easy on you." Rachel looked over at Quinn and their eyes caught each other. For the first time, Quinn was actually looking in Rachel's eyes not as an enemy or a victim, but as an equal, as her friend. Rachel's eyes immediately made her feel safe and the deep brown colour drawing her in. Once she realised she had been staring, Quinn's gaze immediately fell to the floor of the car and Rachel resumed driving. They reached the theatre in good time and made their way to their seats.

"Oh my god Rachel, these seats are great" Quinn gasped in awe as she let her eyes fall over the entire stage, which was in her full view. "How could you afford them!"

"Actually they were a present from my Dads. I was supposed to bring Finn but he's having a boys night with Noah instead" Quinn didn't fail to notice the drop in Rachel's voice as she mentioned her boyfriend. She looked over and the brunette, seeing her eyes glaze over and threaten to pool tears which were quickly sniffed back. "But no matter. Finn probably wouldn't have enjoyed it anyway and I'd much rather go with someone who is keeping an open mind on the musical" Quinn did feel for Rachel at that moment but she also knew that despite his faults, Finn could be a good guy when he really wanted to be, it was just a matter of when it was that he wanted to be.

"So, what would you have done if I had said no?" Quinn asked in a hushed voice, scared of her own question.

"I would have come on my own. It's not like it's something I've never done before" Quinn felt the sting of tears in her eyes but composed herself right before Rachel looked at her. Neither girl knew what to say next to Quinn gave the brunette a warm smile.

The lights went down as the production began; Quinn snuck one last look at Rachel and saw her eyes light up in anticipation and excitement, all thoughts of Finn gone. Quinn faced the stage again, ready to take in whatever the musical had to offer her.

"Oh my god, that was amazing!" Quinn left the theatre in complete awe. It was much better than she ever thought it would be and had to wipe away a few rouge tears on more than one occasion. Rachel watched the blonde in shock. She knew Quinn was willing to build a friendship with her but she never expected her to embrace Rachel's passion so much.

"What would you do if I told there were better musicals than that?

"I would tell you that you are a liar but I have no problems in seeing the evidence for myself" Rachel laughed and shook her head in wonder.

"Well, this is the only musical on here for a while but you're more than welcome to come to my house one day and have a movie musicals marathon. If you want to of course…" Rachel looked at the floor in, keeping her eyes as far away from Quinn's as possible.

"Rachel, I'd really like that. Who knows, maybe by the end of summer you might actually have me signed up to star in a musical!" Rachel's head snapped up and her eyes were lit with a flash of excitement.

"Actually, now that you mention it, that's not a bad idea. I mean, you're a little sharp in places but that's something that can be fixed very easily—"

"Rach, I was joking! I think I'll leave the theatrics to you" Quinn shook her head and laughed at the smaller girl's eagerness. "Now, I promised you food, so food you shall have. Where do you want to go?"

"Well, I'm not that hungry so I was wondering if we could just get some ice cream instead?"

"Yeah sure, whatever you want. But, you don't eat ice cream do you? Or is there a part of veganism that I'm missing?" Quinn raised a questioning eyebrow at Rachel while the other girl smiled widely "Rachel, why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?" Quinn bent down to look in Rachel's car wing mirror before being pulled up sharply into Rachel, the two of them so close that Quinn could feel the smaller girl's breath on her face

"You don't have anything on your face Quinn, I was just really surprised that you remembered I'm vegan" Feeling light-headed, Quinn pulled away from Rachel with a dopey smile on her face.

"Oh right, well yeah. You gave me a lecture once on the cruelties of eating bacon or something and it came up then" A blush spread over Quinn's cheeks as she started getting into the car from her side, trying her hardest to hide her face from the other girl.

"And in answer to your question, yes I am vegan but there happens to be a vegan ice cream parlour on the other side of town. There is also a vegan restaurant there too. The prices are a little higher than usual but that's the price I'm willing to pay to keep a clear conscience" Rachel started the car up and began driving towards the ice cream parlour. "Of course, if you don't want to try vegan ice cream, we can always make two stops"

"No no no, let's go. I said whatever you want and this is what you want. I'm willing to try it and at least if I don't like it, you get two lots. Just don't be sick all over me" Quinn stuck her tongue out that Rachel who laughed it off. A thought entered Quinn's mind that if she knew the other girl would have been this easy to get along with, she would have accepted her offers of friendship a long time ago.

Much to Quinn's astonishment, the vegan ice cream was much nicer than she had previously anticipated. So much nicer that she had four scoops of the chocolate flavour.

"You know if you're not careful, _you'll_ be the one throwing up" Rachel teased from across the table.

"One of the good things about having had a baby is that since then, my stomach has been able to handle pretty much anything so four scoops of the best ice cream I have ever tasted is no big deal" Quinn froze at her own words, it was one of the few times she had ever mentioned being pregnant. She was always careful of what to say around people so she didn't slip up and mention anything but here she was, sitting opposite the one person, apart from her herself and Puck, who would have been directly affected by the birth of her child. She noticed the brightness in Rachel's eyes dim as the smaller girl caught onto Quinn's posture tightening. An air of seriousness washed over the table as both girls knew what was coming next.

"You don't have to be sorry. You just did what was best for your baby, how could you have been expected to think about what would happen to anyone else? Especially me." The tone of Rachel's voice broke Quinn's heart. "I don't resent you for giving her to Shelby. You don't deserve that. If anything, I commend you for making such a brave choice. It can't have been easy to give up a part of you to someone else"

"It wasn't" Quinn had pushed the ice cream away and her voice threatened to crack "There was nothing else I could do. I wanted the best for her and that's what Shelby was and I knew she'd love Beth and give her everything she needed. It was win-win for everybody" Brown eyes met hazel as an understanding passed through the two of them.

"You don't have to feel guilty for what you did. You weren't the one that rejected me Quinn" Rachel reached her hand across the table to lightly press against Quinn's fingers.

"But I did. You offered me your friendship, more than once, and each time I threw it back in your face" Tears were now rolling down Quinn's cheeks as her resolve broke.

"I won't deny that, but the difference is that you're here now, making it up to me, even thought I told you I don't want that.

"You might not want it but it's what you deserve. And it's what you're going to get" Quinn pulled her hand out from under Rachel's in order to wipe the tears from her face. "Whether you like it or not"

"Well, I know how stubborn you can be so I'm not going to fight you on that one"

"Huh, if you're calling me stubborn then I might have a problem" Quinn remarked as she got up from the table.

"Hey! I resent that! I'm not stubborn, I just know what I want" Rachel added with grand sweeping gestures as they walked towards the car, ready to set off on the journey home. Quinn got in and settled in her seat.

"Okay, sure Rach, whatever you say!"

The rest of the car journey remained silent; there was nothing else that either girl needed to say. The quiet wasn't awkward or begging to be filled with words, it was comfortable for both girls as the sounds of the night roads gave all the noise they needed. Soon they pulled up outside of Quinn's house. Both girls got out of the car and walked to the front door.

"You know, you didn't have to walk me to my door Rach, you could have just gone home"

"Nonsense, there could be axe murderers hiding in the bushes!

"So you chose to put yourself in danger too?" A smirk made it's way across Quinn's face and an eyebrow quirked with it.

"Safety in numbers, Quinn! That's always important! All talk of axe murderers aside, thank you for a lovely evening, I've really enjoyed myself" Quinn felt butterflies in her stomach.

"I had a really nice time too. Who knew that musicals and vegan ice cream could be so good? Apart from you of course" The butterflies only increased in number and strength as she received a trademark Rachel Berry smile. "Although next time, we're watching my type of entertainment"

"There's a next time?"

"Of course there's a next time. I mean it Rach, I had a really great time" Quinn was almost knocked off her feet as she felt the full force of Rachel throw herself around Quinn's body in a tight hug. She hugged back after a few seconds when it seemed like the smaller girl wouldn't let go. They stood there for around a minute when Rachel pulled away and walked briskly back to her car

"Hey Rach! Text me when you get home okay!: Quinn shouted after her, Rachel gave a thumbs up from her car in confirmation. As soon as Quinn was inside, she went upstairs to her mother room and kissed the already sleeping woman goodnight. She showered, took a pair of sweatpants and a vest from her closet and got ready for bed, stretching herself out once she was under the covers of her bed. She sank into her pillow and just before she was about to sleep, checked her phone.

_Hi Quinn, I made it home safely, no axe murderers on this side of town :P Thank you again for a lovely evening, I really had a good time xx – R_

Quinn saw that it was sent over 15 minutes ago and assumed that Rachel would be sleeping by now so she decided not to text back in fear of waking the smaller girl up. Quinn was amazed at how easy the night had been for both them. Yes there was that moment in the ice cream parlour, but that was resolved a lot quicker and easier than Quinn had originally thought possible. She went to sleep that night, not worrying about what nightmares she would have but instead wondering where her friendship with Rachel would take her.

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><p><strong>I hope you all really enjoyed this chapter. Whether you did or didn't let me know and I will definitely get reply to your review! Thanks for reading.<strong>


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